An African American and Latinx History of the United States

by Paul Ortiz

An intersectional history of the shared struggle for African American and Latinx civil rights Spanning more than two hundred years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged revisionist history, arguing that Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa--otherwise known as "The Global South"--were crucial to the development...

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An African American and Latinx History of the United States

Author

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Paul Ortiz

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An African American and Latinx History of the United States Reviews

Much like An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, this book is part of the ReVisioning American History series. Having just finished the former, I was stoked to see the latter on Edelweiss available for download and review, and immediately snapped it up.

This book covers the American Revolution through to present day, and covers everything from the juxtaposition of the American Revolution with the Haitian Revolution; the Civil War and Reconstruction; Jim Crow and Juan Crow laws; the

Much like An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, this book is part of the ReVisioning American History series. Having just finished the former, I was stoked to see the latter on Edelweiss available for download and review, and immediately snapped it up.

This book covers the American Revolution through to present day, and covers everything from the juxtaposition of the American Revolution with the Haitian Revolution; the Civil War and Reconstruction; Jim Crow and Juan Crow laws; the New Deal and its aim at creating specifically a white middle class; and across the board, emancipatory internationalism.

Emancipatory internationalism was a new term for me, and I'm kind of in love with it now. (I know I'm a bit late to the game on that one...) Essentially, my understanding is that this pairs internationalism (basically the opposite of insular nationalism, and the idea that we're all global citizens) with emancipation, and the belief that freedom is not possessed by any nation to give or take away from others.

There were a number of larger takeaways, other than being truly schooled in aspects and viewpoints of history that were never covered in my public school education. It's truly a book (and a series, at least the ones I've read so far) that must be read to be truly appreciated. But here are the takeaways for me, in no particular order:

-The true realization that our country was NEVER authentically predicated on the idea of success and equality for everyone. Intellectually, I understood the concept, but don't think that I have come quite so face-to-face with the reality until I started diving deeper into history books not written by white men. (This quote from the book really brings it home: "Inequality in American life today is not the result of abstract market forces, nor is it the consequence of the now-discredited 'culture of poverty' thesis. From the outset, inequality was enforced with the whip, the gun, and the United States Constitution.")

The idea of American exceptionalism (like most ideas of exceptionalism) is a harmful lie. It's been harmful in the past, it continues to be harmful now. ("Make America Great Again" is a prime example.)

-How much all of our movements owe to other movements across the globe. (This relates back to that whole emancipatory internationalism thing.)

-It feels like we are nowhere. So many of the things that were included in this book are events that could have happened yesterday. And it's fucking exhausting to think about.

-The system being stacked against African American and Latinx people of color, especially when it comes to socioeconomics, and specifically how that leads to continued disadvantage, is one of the most frustrating things, and a concept with which a lot of people have a hard time. Personally, my dad is one of them. I've tried to explain to him the concept behind reparations and the lack of inherited wealth, but for someone who came from a lower middle-class background, who didn't inherit actual money when his father died, explaining where that "inherited wealth" comes into his privilege is a frustrating endeavor for both of us.

Definitely snag this book when it's released. It's important and relevant and vital.

Shari Suarez

The perfect book for these troubling times. It's the history that we never learn about in school. It looks at the African American and Latinx contributions to history and social justice in the United States. It takes a look at over 200 years of American history and how the Global South figures into it. I highly recommend it.

Brad Krautwurst

My only real criticisms of this book lie in its pacing (it feels like they skipped the entirety of the 1970s and barely mentioned in passing the 1980s in order to get to the 1990s and 2000s). I would have preferred the book simply be longer, but I suspect, inferring from foreword from the previous book in this series I've read (An Indigenous People's History of the United States), this length may have been a limitation put on the author by the publisher. Additionally, as usual with books of this

My only real criticisms of this book lie in its pacing (it feels like they skipped the entirety of the 1970s and barely mentioned in passing the 1980s in order to get to the 1990s and 2000s). I would have preferred the book simply be longer, but I suspect, inferring from foreword from the previous book in this series I've read (An Indigenous People's History of the United States), this length may have been a limitation put on the author by the publisher. Additionally, as usual with books of this scope, I feel the author could have been a little closer to the chronological markers set forth in the beginning of each chapter. I find it confusing when the author skips from 1900 to 1940 and back again (not an actual example of something in the book, but representative).

Otherwise, this book is incredible in its scope and honesty about the history of the United States from the perspective of African Americans and Latinx people, and especially in how their struggles have coincided and how much they have historically worked together. At first I was questioning why the need to "lump them together," in my own words before reading this. Now I understand why, although I still think further reading of each individual history would be enlightening, but I look forward to finding that elsewhere.

M.

An interesting read. It looks at sides unfortunately not always covered in schools.

Andréa

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An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz

An intersectional history of the shared struggle for African American and Latinx civil rights Spanning more than two hundred years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged revisionist history, arguing that Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa--otherwise known as "The Global South"--were crucial to the development......